Man in his 30s who handcuffed himself to Buckingham Palace’s main gate sustains ‘number of self-inflicted lacerations’
- The Metropolitan Police said officers are working to de-escalate the incident
A man in his 30s who handcuffed himself to the gates of Buckingham Palace has ‘inflicted a number of injuries on himself’, according to the Metropolitan Police.
Officers raided Buckingham Palace after a man handcuffed himself to the main entrance around 5.30pm on Thursday and began threatening to harm himself.
Images posted on social media showed a man, dressed in a white t-shirt and black trousers, handcuffed himself at the gates of the palace where hundreds of tourists had gathered to see the iconic building.
Police officers and paramedics spent hours negotiating with the man.
At 9:45 p.m., police released a statement on social media saying the individual had sustained “a number” of self-injuries.
A spokesperson said: ‘Cordons remain in place and the situation is still ongoing. Officers are still talking to the man, who inflicted several cuts on himself. The police are doing everything they can to bring the situation to a safe end as soon as possible.’
The man attached himself to the gate and began to threaten to hurt himself
Police officers rushed to the scene and began to clear the area of people
Outside the palace, both officers and paramedics could be seen speaking to the man
Both the Metropolitan Police and the London Ambulance Service sent teams to the scene
Police officers quickly cleared the area and appeared to be trying to reason with the person, who reportedly threatened to hurt himself (stock photo of Buckingham Palace)
Police officers quickly cleared the area and appeared to be trying to talk to the person, believed to be in his 30s, who allegedly threatened to hurt himself.
Emergency services were quickly on the scene and several police vans stopped to assist officers already on the ground. London Ambulance Service (LAS) vehicles were also present.
In a statement, the Met Police said: ‘At around 5:23pm a man approached the gates of Buckingham Palace and handcuffed himself to it.
Officers in the area immediately approached the man, believed to be in his 30s, who began threatening to harm himself.
‘LAS are also on site. The police are trying to talk to the man and bring the situation to an end quickly to ensure his safety and well-being.”
Police quickly cleared the entire area around the front of the palace and set up a cordon.
Paramedics and officers could be seen talking to the man outside the main gate.
One woman, who posted video of the moment online, said: “Drama unfolding at Buckingham Palace, where a man has handcuffed himself to the entrance gates… police on scene.”
She later added that police were clearing the area around the gate and asking people to move to the other side of the road.